Great Timing
by Chaosti
Summary: Logan hasn't seen Rory Gilmore since she walked out of his life about a year ago for no reason and without telling him goodbye. What happens when he comes face to face with her after she broke his heart?
1. Prologue

A/N: Congratulate me poeple. This is my first Gilmore Girls fic and the first fic I've posted in like nine months. But the unbearable concentration of hotness that is Logan Huntzberger combined with the sheer amount of chemistry he has with Rory just inspired me to write a fic about one possible future that they could have together. Please read and enjoy. Reviewing wouldn't hurt either. Also, for the sake of this fic I've changed a few things. Lorelai and Luke are married with a baby on the way. She gets along with her dad and that huge fight in Wedding Bell Blues never happened. Everybody gets along with everybody.

Prologue

"Two large coffees please." Logan ordered when he got to the front of the line at the coffee kiosk. He was procuring the caffeine that he knew his girlfriend lived on. He paid for the coffee, grabbed a few packages of sugar and set off in the direction of Branford dorm. Logan was going to surprise Rory with some coffee before her first class in the morning, something he knew always pleased her. He had been buying the coffee for her for almost as long as they had been going out, about eight months. If he had known how much he was going to spend just on the 'nectar of the gods' as she called it, he might have invested in the bean industry from the very beginning. But it made her happy and that's all he wanted.

Logan couldn't wait to see his Ace. He had had to spend the weekend and most of Monday in New York with his parents and he hadn't seen her since Friday morning. She had said she had an appointment Friday afternoon and so had left after her last class. And since he would be gone she would spend the weekend at home in Stars Hollow with her mom and her new step-father Luke. Her mom was expecting a new little brother or sister for Rory and she was so excited about painting the crib with Luke and talking to her mom's stomach. He loved spending time with her and her family. He hadn't grown up like that. He saw his parents on birthdays and holidays provided that they didn't have prior engagements. Both his brother George and his sister Sarah were in boarding school in Switzerland and he only saw them on Christmas, Thanksgiving and summer break.

Lorelai had taken an immediate liking to Logan, as well as his friends Colin, Finn and Stephanie. They liked her too. Lorelai, Rory and Steph went shopping once and they still told tales of the fateful day. And Finn swore up and down that the minute he saw Lorelai his heart was stolen. To this very day every time he saw her he would ask her to run away with him. And Lorelai loved having a number one fan like him. She was especially partial to the serenading he would do at sunset, even though everyone tried to talk him out of it. Why Luke put up with it was beyond him.

Logan felt like he was a part of the family when he was around them. He loved to spend weekends in Stars Hollow with Rory and her family. He had even met her father Christopher and her little sister Georgia. GiGi he had won over by tossing her in the air and presenting her with a stuffed animal. Christopher hadn't been as easy, considering how they had first met. But when it became apparent that Rory was serious about Logan her dad had just given him the 'break her heart, I break your legs' speech and had to satisfy himself with occasionally glaring at him. There was just something about how Rory acted around her family. He loved how she looked in a domestic setting. He loved how she was in any setting. Logan was crazy about Lorelai Leigh Gilmore.

He got to her door and knocked softly, hoping against hope that Rory answered instead of the living nightmare that was her roommate Paris Geller. He was actually good friends with her by now but all the same it was never a good idea to wake Paris. She was as likely to bite your head off in the morning as Rory was before her coffee, something that the two girls had bonded over. Logan wondered for a minute if he should have gotten three cups instead of just two.

The door opened to reveal Paris standing on the other side holding a note in one hand. _Luck is not with me this morning, _thought Logan. Nevertheless he gave her a huge smile. "Morning there Geller. Is my beautiful girlfriend up yet?"

"Logan..." Paris trailed off not knowing what to say to him. "Maybe you better come inside and sit down," said Paris.

Paris was never this pleasant to him at this hour. Logan got a funny feeling in his chest. Giving her a questioning look Logan complied and sat down on the couch, putting the two coffees on the table. As he did so he noticed that there were boxes strewn around the room and some of them were halfway packed. "Going somewhere, Geller?"

"No Logan I'm not going anywhere. Paris closed the door and came over to stand in front of him. She looked like she was trying to figure out what to say to him but couldn't.

By this time Logan had a very bad feeling that he was not going to like what was coming next. "Where's Rory?" he asked with a little more forcefulness than before.

Paris looked very unseasy. She stole a glance at the piece of paper in her hands before turning back to him. "Logan, I-"

Logan knew somewthing was very _very _wrong. "Did something happen? Is it Rory? Is she hurt? What happened?" Logan was panicing by now.

"Logan, Rory's not here. I didn't see her all day yesterday and she still had not gotten back last night when I went over to Doyles'. When I came back a little while ago most of her stuff was packed."

Logan shot up off of the couch, needing to see for himself. He went over to Rory's room and opened the door. "Rory?" But she wasn't there. All her stuff was packed up and most of it was gone. He turned back to Paris. "What the hell is going on?"

Paris gave him a sad look. " I found this taped up on my door." She held out the note she had been holding.

Eager for an explanation Logan practically ripped the note from her outstretched hand and started reading, trying to ignore the sinking feeling that had now settled in his stomach.

_Dear Paris,_

_Im so sorry to leave things like this but I got some news today that leaves me no other choice but to go. You've been such a good friend ever since our Chilton days when we didn't even get along and you've always stuck by me. You have no idea how hard this is, leaving you, my education and the life I've built for myself here at Yale. _

_And Logan. God, Logan. Please tell him that I'm so horribly sorry to have to go. I don't want to. I want to stay and wake up next to him for the rest of my life. But Life...Fate it seems has other plans for me. Tell him... tell him that I love him more than anything in this world. Tell him that I love him more than I ever thought was possible. Tell him that I will miss him more than he will ever know. But tell him that he can't try to find me. Neither of you can. _

_I don't know what else to say except that I'm sorry, I'll miss you and I love you both. I've never once regretted not going to Harvard and coming here instead. So thank you for coming here and dragging me with you. It made all the difference._

_I hope that we'll see each other again someday. Life seems strange knowing we won't be living together anymore._

_Your best friend, Rory Gilmore._

Logan reread the note once, twice, three times before everything started to sink in. She was gone. His Ace was gone.

Logan slowly sank to the floor still holding the note. His life had just changed forever, and he believed it was for the worst.

It registered in his mind that Paris was talking to him.

"Logan! Logan talk to me. Are you going to be okay?"

Logan turned his head so that he could look her in the eye. "No Paris. I really don't think that I am."

A/N: So what do you think? I know it's short but this was just the prologue. The actual chapters will be longer. So please review. Tell me if you like it, if you hate it, if you think Advil works better than Tylenol. I don't care what you tell me, just please review.


	2. Pillows And Blankets

A/N: Thank you all so much for the enormous amount of support you all have shown me through your reviews. You have no idea how much they mean to me. I can't thank you all enough and I'm so glad you think my story is worth something. A lot of people wanted to know why Rory left, and a few of you guessed correctly. You'll find out the reason for Rory's disappearance in this chapter. Also, in case you don't pick up on this, this chapter picks up about a year later from last chapter.

One Year Later

Rory Gilmore was dreaming. In the dream she was dancing with Logan at his parents' annual Christmas party. They were the only couple on the dance floor and all eyes were on the young couple so obviously in love. As they gazed into each others eyes their bodies swayed to the music while taking pleasure in the simple comfort of the closeness of one another.

"I love you, Rory Gilmore," said Logan.

Guilt washed over Rory. "Logan, how can you say that after everything I put you through? I left you, I didn't say goodbye. You haven't heard from me since I left. You have no idea what I've been keeping from you. It's not possible for you to still love me. You don't mean that." Rory was on the verge of tears.

"I love you, that will never change. No matter where you are, what you do or have already done, I love you. You stole my heart, Ace." There was that smile, the one he reserved only for her.

Hearing him speak the nickname he had given her so long ago, Rory started to cry. As the tears obscured her vision she saw that the room itself was fading. The people in the background faded away until only Logan was barely visible.

"Logan, wait! Don't leave me! I didn't get a chance to tell you that I love you! I always will!"

But she was too late, he was gone. When he had melted into the darkness Rory was left alone to sob uncontrollably.

Rory awoke from the dream to find that her pillow was wet. The dream had felt so real. So real that when she was once again separated from the safety of Logan's embrace she had started to cry for real. Her mouth was dry and when she parted her lips with her tongue she tasted the salt of her tears. Slowly she sat up in bed and reached for the glass of water on her nightstand. Taking a long sip she placed the glass back on the table, swallowing with difficulty around the dry sobs.

She picked up a tissue and dried her eyes as she had done so many times before. It was impossible to count how many tissues Rory had gone through in the past year. The first weeks away from Logan and her life at Yale had been the hardest. Not a shopping trip went by without at least two boxes of Kleenex being purchased.

Tossing the balled-up tissue into the trash can, Rory settled back against her pillows and drew up the blankets around her to keep in the warmth. December in the New England states was cold. There were times when Rory was sure she would freeze to death outside. The only cure for the cold was being inside her apartment with a cup of hot cocoa with the thermostat way up there and the mounds of fleece blankets she piled on her bed. She loved fleece, loved how soft the fabric was against her smooth skin. Rory had turned her bed into a nest. She had flannel sheets, a down comforter, numerous fleece blankets she could add on or take off as the temperature dictated, and more pillows than the bed could hold.

The additions to her bed weren't just for sleep, though. There was a method to Rory's madness. She had been used to being held at night by Logan. Now that she was no longer with him, at least when she went to sleep she could pretend that the pillows she lay against was his perfectly toned body, that the blankets drew up to her mid-section was his arm slung across her waist, not wanting to let go of her even in sleep.

Rory shook her head, trying to pull herself away from the direction her thoughts were heading in. If she kept thinking about him she would never get back to sleep. Then she would fall back on a habit she had developed, her body having done it so many times the movements were almost mechanical by now. She would pick up the phone and start dialing his number, always pressing each number slowly, always stalling at the last number, always putting the phone back in the cradle before reaching for yet another tissue. The tears would fall down her face and she would drift off into sleep only to experience dreams like she had just had which lead to even more tears when she woke up, beginning the process all over again.

Rory knew on a conscious level that she couldn't go on like she had been. She knew that if she continued in this manner her life would slip away and she would become a shadow of her former self. Going through the motions of everyday life, only really living for the few precious moments spent in his arms in her dreams.

But she had a reason to live. She had her family, her mom and dad, Luke, her little sister GiGi and her new baby sister Alyssa Danes. And she had Christopher. Some mornings she only got out of bed for him. He needed her and she had to be herself for him.

Telling herself that she needed to get rid of the extra pillows and blankets that symbolized a happier time, Rory got out of bed intending to do just that. She started to pick up the superfluous pillows, placing them on the overstuffed chair against the wall she usually sat in when writing her articles.

She got to the blankets, intending to fold a few of them up and put them in the linen closet. Rory had a sudden flash from her dream, of Logan standing there with a smile on his face only for her, and then he was gone. She looked down at the blanket in her hands that she had been in the process of folding. Her brain reminded her that it was in the twenties tonight. She should keep all the blankets on her bed because of the cold. Slowly she unfolded the blanket and placed it back on her bed. It was one of the things she loved most about coming in out of the cold. She shouldn't take them off tonight. Maybe when it got a little warmer. She purposefully ignored the little voice telling her that it wouldn't be warmer in Rhode Island until April at least. For now, she told herself that she needed them to ward off the cold, never mind the fact that she had indoor heating. When it was warmer, she would take her blankets off. Just not tonight.

Confident that she had made the right decision, Rory got back under the covers and settled her body into a comfortable position. She closed her eyes and willed sleep to come.

No such luck. The minute she felt herself drifting off, she was woken up again by the sound of crying coming from the next room. Pushing back the covers once more, Rory got out of bed and quickly made her way into the nursery. She walked over to the crib and picked up her four month old son.

"Hey there, Christopher. It's okay, Mommy's here and she's not going to let anything happen to you." She sat down in the rocking chair and tried to soothe her fussy son. Rory checked his diaper and upon feeling that he wasn't wet she switched tactics. "I'll bet you're hungry, huh little man?" She moved the hem of her shirt up so that she could settle the baby over her breast.

Rory hummed to herself and her son to pass the time. She tried not to think of the dream she had had but failed. Looking down into the face of her son the tears began all over again.

"Oh Logan, I miss you so much. If only you knew.." The only response she got for her declaration was a happy Chris opening his eyes and looking at her. Rory tried to ignore the tears that were streaming down her face. She couldn't afford to cry. She had to be strong for her son. She had to be strong for Logan's son.

A/N: I loved that a few of you guessed that she was in the Witness Protection Program. That's what my dad thought was happening when he read it. And no dad, just because you raised me does not mean that you get to read the chapters before I post them, you'll have to wait like everyone else.

One last thing, I seem to have inadvertently started a cold medicine war with that stupid joke I made about Tylenol and Advil last chapter. Out of the 38 reviews I have received so far (counting the ones from and Illusive) 13 people mentioned the Advil/Tylenol thing. I've even had write in votes for Aleive. In all honesty I was just trying to be funny. I promise I'll work harder at being funnier, if only in my authors notes. However due to the overwhelming response I'm thinking of making it into a running joke. In every chapter we'll vote on the best medicine and in the end we'll assign a winner. What do you say?

Standing tally: Tylenol in the lead with 8 votes; Advil tailing with 2 votes tied with Alieve with 2 write-in votes.


	3. Of all the bookstores

Great Timing, ch 3

Of all the bookshops in all the towns in all the world...

My god, I'm actually updating this thing. That in itself is a wonder to me. Sometimes even I don't understand me.

This chapter is dedicated to the wonderful people at the IRS who sent me my lovely tax return on Friday which has allowed me to begin my shopping spree. Also to the wonders of bubble baths. All the world's problems just melt away when you're sitting in a hot bath with strawberry scented bubbles and a few candles and reading a good book. Throw in some hot cocoa and you've got my idea of bliss.

Also for Hidden Identity who was trying to get out of going to both lecture and the gym. Procrastinate as long as possible! lol

It was 4:52 PM on Friday afternoon. Rory was due to get off at 5:30. Meaning that she only had to keep herself occupied for another 38 minutes. She was due to pick up Chris at the daycare center around the corner and then be home by 6:00. Maybe she would order pizza and watch a movie. The perfect way to kick off her vacation.

Classes at Providence University wouldn't start until the second week in January, which also marked the start of her last semester in college. She couldn't believe that this coming May she would be a college graduate. _Boy how time flies, _she thought.

Rory was lucky that she was in college at all. What with having Chris and a job she was juggling more than most college students. She had found out she was pregnant mere days after finishing her first semester of her junior year at Yale. What with the panic and confusion she had just had to get away. Luckily her grandfather golfed with the dean of Providence University and he had been able to persuade him into accepting an emergency transfer for Rory. She had finished out her junior year in Rhode Island during her first and partly into her second trimester. Over the summer she had participated in a work-study program that qualified for enough credits for her first semester of her senior year. She had finished the program just a week and a half before she had gone into labor and had delivered a beautiful baby boy.

For a while Rory hadn't known what she wanted to name her son. Then her dad had come to visit his new grandson and the idea popped into her head to name him after her own dad. When her dad had found out she was pregnant he had spent more and more time with her, eventually growing closer. And she had considered that her mom had named Rory after herself, and Rory liked the idea of giving her baby a family name. She wanted it to be the name of a family member she was actually close to. So that left Richard, Luke and Christopher. She wasn't that fond of the name Richard, and she felt weird naming her son Luke when he had only been married to her mom a short time. That left Christopher. When she had told her dad she could have sworn she saw a tear in his eye.

Rory was just excited that it was Christmas and with classes being out and using her vacation days she had earned at work, Rory could relax and spend some time with Chris. Also her mom and Luke were coming to visit in a few days and would be bringing with them Rory's baby sister Alyssa. Rory hadn't seen them in almost two months. She talked to her mom on the phone nearly every day but it just wasn't the same.

Rory glanced at the clock again. 4:56. Four more minutes and she would be out of here. _Might as well start getting ready, _she thought. Putting the remaining books that she had been sorting back onto the shelf behind the counter, Rory turned around to grab her coat and purse. Her back to the counter, Rory was fishing for her car keys in her purse when the bell above the front door jingled, letting her know that a customer had arrived. Terry was the only other person on duty tonight and he wasn't back from his break yet so she couldn't leave until he got back.

Rory dropped her keys under the desk and got down on her knees trying to reach them.

A voice from above startled her. "Excuse me miss? I need a copy of Emma by Jane Austen. Can you help me?" A bell tingled faintly in Rory's head. She knew that voice, but she couldn't place it.

Slowly she straightened up, her eyes still looking for her keys. "Yeah, it's on the back wall right over next to" Rory finally caught sight of the customer's face. "Oh my God!" Rory exclaimed. She looked into the face of a very familiar blond.

"Oh my God!" The blond repeated Rory's words.

She was too stunned to think about anything other than the person whom she hadn't seen in over a year.

"Rory?"

A/N: I bet you guys have a pretty good idea about who our mystery customer is. I'll leave you to ponder it until next time.

I wanted to explain why I named Rory and Logan's son Christopher. In this fic, Rory didn't have the problems with her dad that she does on the show. I believe I mentioned in the first chapter that everybody gets along with everybody in this. Also, I'm kind of a Daddy's girl, he raised me so I probably wouldn't be any good about writing about her having problems with her father. And there's the fact that I just like the name. Don't misunderstand me, Lorelai belongs with Luke but I do like Chris.

Standing tally:Advil in the lead with 12 votes.Tylenol got 11, Alieve got 4 and 1 vote each for Sudafed, Ibprofen and Vicodin.

Vote for your favorite pain/cold medicine here! Just review!


	4. Extenuating Circumstances

Great Timing, ch 4

Extenuating Circumstances

A/N: This chapter is being posted by Chaosti's ghost. Chaosti was innocently browsing through a Gilmore Girls website when she came across a particularly distressing piece of news. She found out that there wasn't going to be another new episode of Gilmore Girls for over a month and promptly died at the thought of having to live without Logan for that long. The memorial service will be held at St. John's Cemetery and Matt Czuchry is not expected to attend.

"Rory?" The blond asked.

Rory was having difficulty processing the fact that she was seeing this person from her old life walking in to her new life.

"Oh my God, Stephanie?"

Stephanie looked like she was having just as much trouble as Rory was. "Rory Gilmore! It is you!" Stephanie looked like she was trying to decide what to do. Finally Stephanie just smiled at her.

It was that smile that did her in. Rory had missed her good friend, she even missed Colin and Finn as annoying and difficult as they could be. They had grown close while Rory had been dating Logan. Rory stepped out from behind the counter and went over to hug her friend. They embraced for a moment and then drew back to study one another.

"You hair has grown so much," Rory said to Stephanie. She knew it was a lame comment but she was grasping at straws trying to figure out what to say to her.

"Yours too." Apparently Steph couldn't think of anything better either.

"I know, I can't bring myself to cut it." There was an awkward silence for a long moment. Rory wasn't sure what to say after all this time. Finally she settled on a time-honored classic. "How have you been?"

"I'm good. I'm actually engaged." Stephanie brought up her left hand to reveal her diamond engagement ring.

Rory took her hand and admired the ring. "Wow, it's gorgeous. Congratulations. So Colin finally proposed?"

"Thanks, yeah, there was a pool going in the Life and Death Brigade as to when he would do it. Finn won. When I found out I threatened to castrate him with a hot iron, so he offered to split the money, a sizable pot, and we managed to come to an agreement. He's paying for the honeymoon."

Rory smiled. Apparently nothing had changed since she'd been gone. Good old Finn, same old Colin. The thought made her sad.

"Sounds like all is well with the gang." Rory tried not to think that she had once been an important member of the gang. She couldn't change the past, or go back. She had to keep telling herself that. Suddenly she thought of something that had potential for disaster. "Are you by yourself?" she asked Stephanie. "No Colin or Finn or..." She still couldn't bring herself to say it.

"They're still in Hartford. I'm not alone though. A friend of mine is here with me." Stephanie thought she should keep the identity of her shopping buddy a secret for now.

"What brings you to Providence?" Rory asked. She hoped Stephanie wouldn't stay long enough to find out about certain things that she would prefer be kept a secret from a certain friend of Stephanie's.

"My parents live up here. I came up to visit them for their anniversary and to announce the engagement. Colin will be flying in tomorrow afternoon and we'll do it then." Stephanie also left out the part about Colin not flying in alone. She got the sense that Rory wasn't ready to hear that.

Stephanie was still looking at her with a questioning look on her face. Rory knew what was coming before she even opened her mouth. "Rory, why did you leave? Everyone was stupefied. Logan just walked into the dorm one morning and said that you were gone. What gives?" Stephanie very carefully left out the part about how distraught Logan had been that day and for a long time after.

Logan. She would have to bring him up. The sound of his name coming from a familiar voice was enough to make her wince. Rory certainly hadn't been expecting to have this conversation today. All she had wanted was to spend some time with Chris but it looks like she would have to relive the past first.

"I just had to leave. I didn't want to, but it wasn't up to me. There were...extenuating circumstances."

"What does that mean Rory? You didn't even say goodbye to any of us. Logan said that there was a note but I never saw it." Stephanie looked hurt.

"How is Logan?" She knew she shouldn't be asking, it would only lead to trouble, but she couldn't help herself.

"Logan is doing okay, all things considered. You know his father had a heart attack last month, right?"

"What?" Oh my God, I had no idea! Nobody told me anything. Is he okay?" Rory couldn't believe that Mitchum Huntzberger was in the hospital, he had always seemed so healthy.

"Mitchum had high blood pressure, and a cholesterol problem. The doctors told him to take it easy, to retire maybe, but you know Mitchum. His business is his life. He had the heart attack and he's been in the hospital ever since. Shira took it pretty hard, and Logan never talks about his feelings anymore. Not since-" Stephanie cut herself off. _Not since you left him._

Rory's heart broke for Logan, he had never been close to his dad but to almost lose him was terrible. And from what Stephanie said it didn't look like Mitchum was out of the woods yet.

"I'm so sorry." The words sounded lame, even to herself.

"Yeah." Stephanie was once again speechless. What did you say to someone in a situation like this?

They were saved from having to say anything else when the door opened again and Terry her coworker/roommate/best friend walked in. He took one look at her and could tell something was wrong. "Hey Gilmore. Sorry I got held up. Is there something wrong?" That's what she loved about Terry Hartfield, he was sensitive enough to pick up on even the subtlest of emotions and he was always trying to look out for her. That and he made her laugh which she desperately needed these days.

"No Terry, I'm fine. I want you to meet a friend of mine. Terry this is Stephanie. Stephanie this is Terry." They said hello to each other and waited for Rory to speak. When she wasn't forthcoming, Terry took it upon himself to break the silence.

"So listen Rory, it's pretty dead in here and I can finish up. Why don't you go ahead and leave. Go get some coffee or something. It'll give you some time to catch up with your friend here. And I know you're anxious to pick up-"

Rory knew what he was saying and cut him off before he could let anything slip about Christopher. "Groceries!" She said with slightly more force than was necessary. "I need to stock up on junk food for the weekend, you're absolutely right." If Stephanie heard about Christopher, she would ask questions. And if she knew then the knowledge would inevitably make it's way to Logan, whether by her own mouth or if she told Colin or Finn even. She couldn't let that happen. Apparently Logan had enough stress in his life right now. He didn't need this. "Do you need anything Terry?"

"No thanks I'm good. I'll see you at home, okay?" Terry still looked worried about her. And why shouldn't he be? Rory could only imagine what the expression on her face looked like to others after the events of the past twenty minutes or so.

Rory grabbed her purse and was already making her way to the door before he finished. Stephanie, all aspirations of procuring a copy of Emma forgotten, followed her without a word.

Before she could actually get to the door, it opened yet again and another blond walked in. "Steph! There you are! I've been waiting in the car for you. You ever planning on joining me?"

"Hey Huntzberger, you'll never guess who I found."

A/N: I've been getting a lot of questions about why Rory didn't just go to her mom and why she was living in Providence, et cetera. I promise Lorelai did not kick her daughter out when she found out she was pregnant. All questions will be answered in time. Have patience and in the meantime review.

Also I feel that I should clarify something. Many of you asked if you could vote more than once on the pain/cold medicine thing. To answer your questions, you may vote once per chapter.

And now for the real reason you read my story:

Standing tally: Tylenol with 16 votes, Advil with 15 votes, 4 for Aleve, 3 each for Ibuprofen and Sudafed , 2 for Dayquill/Nyquill and 1 each for Nurofen and Vicodin.


	5. Trapped

Great Timing ch 5

Author: Chaosti

Title: Trapped

A/N: Frak! I'm updating! The world is coming to an end! Save the coffee! Here is my list of reasons as to why I have not updated before now: I was kidnapped and held hostage by the KGB for three months and three seconds after being rescued by a rather hot CIA agent, aliens abducted me and experimented on me before beaming me back down to earth where I then spent the next few months making polite conversation with a bean bag chair named Larry. At least that's what my therapist tells me.

A/N: Can't fool you guys twice. Everyone who guessed it was Logan's sister gets a cookie and a shiny nickle. Also, before I found out that his sis's name was Honor, I named her Sarah in the first chapter so I'm gonna stick with that. Who names a kid Honor Huntzberger? Poor thing, I'm doing the character a good deed.

"Hey Huntzberger, you'll never guess who I found." Stephanie called out to her friend.

A blond girl a year or so younger than Rory bounded into the shop and came to a stop in front of Steph. Rory had never met her in person, but she had seen plenty of pictures of her. Sarah Elizabeth Huntzberger was a classic beauty, warm brown eyes and blond hair falling in ringlets down her back. Sarah was the spitting image of her older brother. Rory's breath caught in her throat at the sight. It was as though she was looking at a picture of her old boyfriend, something she still did late at night when the unsettling dreams and guilt over her actions made sleep an impossibility. She still had some pictures, she was saving them in an album for when Chris grew up and asked about his Daddy.

Rory remembered to breathe when the tightness in her chest became painful, and she drew in a ragged breath. First her mind was sent spiraling when Steph showed up on the front doorstep of her new life and then when her old pal had called out the name Huntzberger Rory could have sworn she felt her heart stop. To call this afternoon 'eventful' would be an understatement. Anymore surprises and Rory would have to be medicated. Still, there was a considerable crisis on her hands and she had to deal with it before it got out of hand. She had practice making the best out of things; that's what she would do now.

Sensing the silence, Stephanie chose this moment to make the introductions like the polite society girl she had been raised to be. "Lorelei Gilmore meet Sarah Huntzberger. Sarah this is Lorelei, more commonly known as Rory."

Sarah's eyes had gone huge at the mention of Rory's name. "Oh my god! You're Rory! You're the one who dumped my big brother last year!" The expression in Sarah's eyes did not promise that she and Rory would be best friends forever. It rather reminded her of the look Chris got when he was put to bed against his wishes. It was then that it occurred to Rory that the woman standing before her was her son's aunt. Rory's mind had been dazed since the first blond walked in and it had taken until now for her mind to make that connection. But back to the present crisis.

_This is not going well, _Rory thought. Time for damage control. "Yeah, that would be me. Sorry we never had a chance to meet. When I was dating Logan-" Rory swallowed painfully, "you were still away at school. But it is nice to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you." There, that was a decent start.

Sarah still looked distrustful of Rory, although Rory's polite tone and manner were making her unsure of whether she should like the girl who broke her brother's heart or not. At the moment, she was leaning toward not. "Yes, I've heard plenty about you too. In particular, last winter you were all anyone would talk about. "Nothing lately though.

"Sarah!" Stephanie did not like where Sarah was heading with this. Whatever had happened with Rory and Logan was between Rory and Logan. And though she loved Logan almost as a brother, she was still Rory's friend and felt obliged to stick up for her. Stephanie thought this might be a good time to change the topic.

"So Rory what have you been up to lately?" A nice safe topic of conversation.

Rory looked over at Sarah again before turning back to face Steph. "Well I just finished my first semester of my senior year of college. Just one more semester and I'll be a college graduate." Rory very carefully did not mention which school she attended, in case Steph decided to tell Logan, Colin or Finn about this little tete a tete. Risking another glance at the still undecided Sarah Huntzberger, she tacked on another a tete to that last thought. Then Rory looked over towards the counter where Terry was unabashedly listening in on their conversation. Silently praying that he wouldn't mention anything about why she was leaving her son out of this conversation, she continued. "Other than that I've been working here part time, and getting ready for the holidays. My mom and step-dad are driving up with Alyssa for a visit and they will be here in no time. So I really should get a head start on cleaning up." _Please take the hint and let me go so I can pick up my baby._

Stephaine did in fact pick up on the hint but she wasn't quite ready to let Rory go without at least trying to get a little more info out of her regarding her disappearing act last year.

"Hey, how is Lorelei? I always liked her, she's so much fun. Although I don't hang out with her anymore, not since you left."

Rory tried to ignore the last part of Stephanie's statement and fidgeted with the ends of her scarf. "Mom's good. The Inn's a huge success. It's been named one of the top ten Bed & Breakfasts in New England. Alyssa's walking and trying to form words now. And she's trying to talk Luke into taking a vacation to somewhere tropical so she can keep her tan."

Stephanie laughed. "Yeah that sounds like Lorelei. I definitely need to give her a call sometime. Actually I was thinking of maybe having the wedding at her Inn. I remembered that it's gorgeous there." Stephanie thought she saw her friend pale.

Rory tried not to sound too panicky at the thought of her former crowd being that close to people who had knowledge of her current situation. She gulped again and forced a smile on her face. "I'm sure Mom would love that." Rory glanced at her watch and saw that she was going to be late to pick up Christopher. Then she remembered her cover story. "Listen, I hate to cut this short, but I have to pick up some groceries and get home." There, Stephaine couldn't ignore a direct dismissal, as bad as Rory felt for giving it. But she had to get out of there.

Steph pulled a pen and a piece of paper out of her purse and scribbled down something before pressing it into Rory's glove-covered hand. "There's my cell phone number. Call me when you get a chance. I wo't be in town long but I'd like to maybe have lunch and catch up."

Rory was torn between wanting to catch up with her old friend again and the desire to keep her as far away from her son as possible, for all their sakes. "Rory looked over at Terry again. The expression on his face was unreadable. She glanced back at Steph. "Sure that sounds great. I'll call you."

"Great! Then I guess we'll grab Emma and head off."

"Okay." Rory looked over at Sarah one more time. "It was nice to have met you."

Sarah had remained silent throughout the entire exchange between one of her best friends and her brother's ex. What she had heard of Rory's departure and the subsequent feeling of abandonment by all did not match up to this young woman before her. Sarah couldn't help but feel as though there may be something more going on here. For now, though, she would try to be polite. "Nice to have met you too."

Rory nodded to both girls and said bye. To Terry she said, "See you at home." Then she exited the shop and heaved a huge sigh of relief.

A/N: Yay! I updated. Seriously though, I just have been busy with a new job and a new baby (not mine, but my best friend's). Also I managed to develop a huge crush on this one guy and have been trying to spend more time with him. Also I have become minorly obsessed with Battlestar Galactica, so a lot of my fanfiction time is spent reading and writing in that area. All I can say is I'm sorry.

If anyone is still interested in this running joke, then the tally stands at 4 for Aleve, 3 for Dayquill/Nyquill, 3 for Sudafed, and 1 each for Codral/Panadol, Motrin, Nurofen, Percocet and Vicodin. And surprisingly Advil and Tylenol are tied for the lead with 25 votes for each.


End file.
